Salute to Service: Kalispell police chief stepping down

KALISPELL - This edition of Salute to Service honors the job that Kalispell Chief of Police Roger Nasset has done in his 10 years in the position.

Chief Roger Nasset recently announced that he is stepping down from his post after being at the department for 24 years -- and serving as chief since 2006.

He says he didn’t have plans of stepping down but was given the opportunity to work in the private security sector and decided it was a good time to leave.

Nasset says will cherish the experience he gained here.

“The opportunities that I’ve had, the different situations that I’ve been involved in are things that I will treasure forever. Good and bad,” said Nasset.

Nasset says one of his favorite parts of the job was having the ability to play a role in the community and he believes he is leaving while it is in a good position.

“I really believe that officers have the ability to affect the community and I believe that we do in a very positive way here in Kalispell,” said Nasset.

Captain Wade Rademacher will serve as the interim chief and started at the department the same year as Nasset.

Rademacher says Nasset’s commitment to the department and the community was unsurpassed.

“He was incredibly dedicated to the department, he put so much time and energy into it to make the department better. I would bet there probably wasn’t a night he did go home, that he wasn’t thinking how he could make the department better.”

Although Nasset is leaving the department, he says he doesn’t have any plans of leaving the Flathead Valley.

“I’ve had the opportunity to be the president of the chief’s association for the state of Montana and in that, I go to a lot of other communities and I can tell you for sure this is a great community and no reason that I would want to leave.”